One Too Many
by feebee17
Summary: If you can't be with the one you love...sleep with a work mate! What will happen when Millie & one of her uniform colleagues accidently combine friendship and sex? For those who like their fan fics Mallie free. Millie and OC.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own The Bill.**

The first thing Millie was conscious of when she woke up was that her head was throbbing. The second thing was that she absolutely no idea where she was. She cautiously opened an eye to the light, gradually letting it become accustomed to what seemed like a dazzlingly bright morning. Slowly the room came into focus. Nothing around her seemed familiar. As she stretched under the covers she realised she was naked. Hmm. She slowly looked across the bed to see if the person lying beside her was any clue to where she was, but there was no one there. Maybe she was in someone's spare room? Maybe she hadn't ended up sleeping with someone she didn't even remember after all?

She could have convinced herself of this if she hadn't just seen on the floor beside the bed what was definitely a condom, tied into a knot. It was very obviously a used condom…

She looked across the empty space of the bed to the bedside table that was next to it. On it was a large photo of a young woman smiling back at her.

_Who was the picture of?_ she wondered. No one she recognised_._ But this woman must mean something to the person whose bed this was._A __sister perhaps? Come off it, who keeps a photo of their sister beside their bed? _Millie groaned as the logical conclusion hit her. _Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck_, Millie thought. _I've slept with a married man! Or at least someone with a girlfriend! How could I have drunk so much that I'd do something like that? Something I swore I would never ever do!_

Millie's mind took her back to her last year at secondary school. Millie and Michelle had been friends since they started at prep school together. Right through primary school and beyond, they had been inseparable. From skipping rope together to the overnight stays, from experimenting with hair and make up to middle of the night confidences, they had done all the coming of age things together. Then when they turned sixteen Millie had met Sam. They had been a relatively chaste couple for quite a while before they started to consider perhaps they should take things to the next level. Millie confided all her hesitations and excitement to Michelle. Then there was the night of the end of school dance. If anything were going to happen this would be the night. Millie and Sam danced together but at some point during the evening he had disappeared. Millie went to look for him. She had found him behind the school gym with his hands up Michelle's skirt. Millie had broken up with him immediately and avoided Michelle. A week after the event she and Michelle encountered each other and Millie had asked her how she could do this to a friend. But Michelle couldn't see why she should feel guilty. After all Sam was a boy. Attention from boys meant more than any friendship. But can't you see how I would feel? asked Millie, disbelievingly. That's not important to me, said Michelle. I can always find another friend. Millie suddenly found her lifelong friend repulsive and vowed that no matter what happened she would never ever be the type of girl who stole another woman's man…

Since that incident, every time that Millie had found herself competing with another woman for a man's affections, she would bow out. She would never put herself in the position of another woman's rival. She could never quite work out if this meant she was being noble, or if it just meant she didn't want to lose the contest because since then she never felt she was good enough to be any man's first choice.

Whatever her motivations, she was overcome with self-loathing as she looked at the smiling face of the girl in the photo. "I'm sorry," she found herself saying out loud to the unknown woman. She was certainly very attractive: honey blonde hair, large, long-lashed blue eyes – _a bit too much fake tan_, thought pale Millie critically – but on the whole a stunner. So where was she now? Why did her partner feel confident enough to bring a strange woman to the marital bed last night?

Ah, yes, last night! Most of the Relief had been there, all determined to drown their sorrows after what had been a very frustrating day. Some drunken, wife-beating thug had managed to evade what they have originally thought to be a watertight charge, and, as he was released, had made sure they all felt the sting of his triumph by dancing around and tormenting them. No one had needed too much persuading when Smithy had suggested perhaps the team needed to unwind with a drink or two at the Seven Bells.

_Just about everyone was there, _recalled Millie, _but who would I have wanted to sleep with? _Well, everyone knew Max Carter had been the object of her desire for a long time, but she was pretty sure he wasn't there. _Just my luck that it was Max I slept with and I can't remember any of it!, _she thought bitterly.

So who had been there? Smithy, Callum Stone, Jo, Nate, Mel, Leon, Ben, Roger. Terry Perkins and Stevie Moss had been involved in the case and had joined them too. Well you could rule out Mel and Stevie straight away. Millie had to think about Jo for a moment. Millie was definitely straight, but possibly, in a drunken frame of mind was she so sure she could turn down this undeniably appealing woman's advances? She decided she was pretty sure. Back to the list, and there was no way she could see it being Roger or Terry. Smithy and Stevie had been too chummy all evening for him to be an option. That left Sgt Stone, Nate, Leon and Ben.

Callum Stone and Nate were sleazes, there was no doubt about that, and she knew that if she gave either of them the slightest bit of encouragement they would be up for it. Ben and Leon were both a bit more reserved and complex, so they seemed less likely suspects. She couldn't rule out the option that she could have picked up someone completely new, but had she really drunk that much?

Yep, she knew she had. Most of them had in fact. It started of with a couple of white wines, then the challenges began. She felt herself turn slightly green at the memory of how much tequila she'd slammed down while competing with the boys. Was she really that stupid, she wondered? Apparently yes. It's not every day you drink to the point where you couldn't remember what you'd done.

Fuzzy images started to appear in her head. She could see herself dancing with Callum, very slow, close dancing in fact. She almost thought she could see him bending down to kiss her. But then to her relief the image of herself pushing him away sprang into her mind. She could see herself with the other girls, laughing and exchanging comments about their male colleagues. She had her arms around Mel. Then she remembered Leon and Nate rejoining them once again, as Mel got up with Stevie, Smithy and Roger, who all said their goodbyes. Then she remembered the two boys half carrying her out as they all went to hail a taxi…

Then she remembered at last who it was she had come home with...


	2. Chapter 2

Leon was taking longer in the shower than he usually did. It was as if he wanted to give himself a spiritual cleansing as well as a physical one. It wasn't that he didn't like Millie or that the sex hadn't been enjoyable. It was just that he felt he'd betrayed Natalie. Since her death he had had a couple of meaningless one night stands, but this was different. There was no way he was in love with Millie, but she was a mate and he'd have to deal with her again and again at work. With the other girls since Natalie, he'd be lucky to even remember their names.

The other thing about sleeping with Millie that made it different was that he had slept with her in his and Natalie's own bed. God he must have been drunk! He relived the horror he had felt when he woke up in the morning with Millie beside him and Natalie's smiling face looming over him in the shape of the large photo he kept of her beside the bed. From her expression it didn't seem like she was upset with him, but he couldn't help but feeling he had betrayed her. Even after so long a time, he had trouble convincing himself she was dead. She was still so incorporated into his life. Her perfume lingered in the wardrobe, still full of her clothes. Her knick knacks and pictures still set the tone of the décor in the sitting room. Her underwear and stockings were still in the top drawer of the dresser.

Leon asked himself how all this had happened. Sure, everyone had had a lot to drink last night. He blamed Nate for this. Nate was always the one challenging everyone else, taking things too far. By the end of the night, he, Nate and Millie were the only three people out of the group still standing. Millie was certainly the worst for wear out of the three of them. He and Nate had carried her out to hail a cab and Leon had decided then and there that she was in no fit state to get herself home. Seeing as she and he lived in the same part of town, he felt it was the right thing for him to share a cab with her and make sure she got home in one piece.

They sat in the back of the cab and Millie was barely able to hold herself up. Leon put his arms around her to stop her slumping over onto the seat. While in his arms, Millie had raised her head and looked at him. For some stupid reason, he had leant over to kiss her. Next thing he knew, they were giving the amused cab driver quite a show to watch from his rear vision mirror. The way Millie touched and kissed him, the feeling of her willing form as his hands explored the previously unnoticed delights of her body made his regard for her quickly change from a comrade-like concern to an insatiable need to have more of her.

"Come home with me," he panted into her ear and his mouth travelled the length of her neck.

"OK," she had responded, devouring him with what seemed to be an eagerness to match his own.

Leon directed the cab to his own address, and he and Millie stumbled from the car into the front door of his flat. He hardly even opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. He tore off his own jacket, then peeled off her coat. The rest of their clothes were rapidly discarded as he guided her through the door of his bedroom and lay her down onto his bed. No words were exchanged, no hollow overtures of feigned affection were offered as the two of them let themselves be entirely guided by their lust. Leon thanked his stars that he had had the presence of mind to at least reach for a condom before their desperation united them and their passion reached a rapid crescendo. Soon they lay quietly together, asleep in a sweaty, exhausted heap on the bed.

After a few hours, Leon had woken with the sensation of Millie's breasts pressed against his own bare chest, which wouldn't have been a bad way to wake up had he not felt so hung over and guilty. He separated her still moist form from his own and walked out naked into the lounge room. He looked at the collection of clothes spread in a direct line from the front door to the bedroom. He picked up Millie's clothes and quietly returned them to the room and placed them on a chair near the bed. He dressed himself in shorts and a tee shirt and rubbed his bleary eyes with the heels of his palms.

_What have I done?_ he demanded of himself as he hit his forehead with his fist. However, this gesture only made his headache worse, and led to a slightly queasy feeling in his stomach. Instead he just buried his head in his hands. He almost wanted to cry.

He looked up at the picture of him and Natalie together on the mantelpiece, the one that was taken on her last birthday. _I'm sorry my darling, I really am. I never meant to bring someone into our bed. I never would have if I hadn't been so drunk. But Millie's not so bad you know, in fact I think you'd like her. She can come across as a bit wet sometimes, but she has a wicked sense of humour and can be fun too. But she'll never replace you, and I don't even think I'd want her too. It's just we were both drunk and, well, we like each other and somehow it just happened. It was all about sex. She'll never be my everything girl, not like you were…_

The fact that he had said 'were' instead of 'are' just then added to his sense of shame. God he needed to clear his head. It was at that point he decided it was time to shower.

Leon removed the shorts and tee shirt and pulled the shower curtain closed behind him. A vision flashed into his head for only a moment of Millie in the shower beside him. Her red hair was wet and water ran down her body. His mind's eye followed droplets of water that dripped from her chin to run in rivulets over her breasts. He shook his head and made the water slightly colder to end this reverie. She wasn't here and it felt wrong to imagine she was.

By this stage he was determined that every inch of him needed a thorough cleansing. He started by adding shampoo to his hair and beard. He worked especially hard at removing the traces of Millie's kisses and whatever other of her body fluids that could have been absorbed by his beard.

The concentration of water on his face was therapeutic, and he felt the pain in his head decrease slightly. He rolled his shoulders and neck to add to the sense of release. He took the soap and lathered up the rest of his body. He was conscious that he was washing off Millie's sweat as well as his own. As he worked his hands across his body he started to remember more details of their actual encounter. He had been so hungry for her. And despite her drunkenness making her slightly clumsy she had been just as eager for him. He had always thought Millie was a particularly beautiful girl, but this hadn't necessarily meant he had wanted to sleep with her before. But from the moment he felt her soft skin under her shirt in the cab, he knew he couldn't rest until he'd experienced all of her. He remembered peeling off her clothes, gradually exposing more and more of her to his touch. Perhaps it was a latent guilt at desiring someone other than Natalie, but he been aware that he was avoiding looking at Millie while he undressed her. But this had been foolish really, and all it had achieved had been to make the feel of her body even more alluring. Who would have guessed that underneath her uniform were such full, firm breasts, such a glorious curve from her waist to her hip, such smooth, silky, milky skin, so soft and kissable…

Leon sighed and turned the cold tap up still further. He realised that instead of diminishing his ardour, this shower seemed to be enflaming it. He wished he could get these images of Millie's body out of his mind. Giving himself one final blast of pure cold water, he turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower.

After drying and dressing, he made his way into the lounge. Still no sign that Millie was stirring. He felt like he could do with more sleep, but didn't feel comfortable hopping back in bed beside her. He tried lying on the couch to get some sleep there. But the day was already warm and the room was too bright. Time to face the fact that attempts at sleep were futile.

It occurred to him that he didn't know what shift Millie was working that day, so maybe he should be waking her. He got up and put on the kettle. Having bought Millie coffee many times when they'd been partnered at work, he knew to make it with milk and one sugar. He made the coffee and carried the two cups towards the bedroom. He placed one cup on the bookcase beside the bedroom door, so he had a free hand to turn the door knob. He held the door open with his foot as he pick up the cup and made his way into the room.

He carried the coffees to the bed in which Millie was still sleeping.


	3. Chapter 3

Millie had actually managed to get back to sleep once she had worked out where she was. After having concluded it was best to stay in bed to wait for Leon's return rather than venture out to find him (particularly as she recalled leaving her clothes in the lounge room) she had drifted back into a sound, overheated slumber, completely oblivious to Leon's strutting and fretting in the next room. Her sleep lasted until Leon entered the room, which disturbed her only slightly, causing her naked form to twist under the thin sheet at the first stirrings of her consciousness.

Leon looked longingly at Millie's long red hair strewn across his pillows, the serenity of her face and her milky, shoulders. He noted straight away that the sheet did little to hide the fact that Millie was still naked. He conjectured that it was friction from the cotton sheet as she writhed in her semi-slumber that was responsible for the erect nipples that protruded clearly where the sheet pulled tight across her breasts. He felt his tongue flicker across the back of his teeth at the sight, and he exhaled audibly. The last sound was enough to rouse Millie into almost complete consciousness. Leon hastily tried to collect his composure by looking at Natalie's picture.

Millie opened an eye and realised she felt slightly better than she had when she had woken earlier. She looked up to see Leon standing beside the bed holding two cups of coffee. She checked that she was well covered by the bed clothes, then smiled at him.

"Hey," she said shyly.

"Good morning," replied Leon, holding out a cup. "I thought you could use this."

"Thanks," she said, moving towards him. She realised she wasn't going to be able to move and keep her shoulders completely covered by the sheet, so she tucked it securely under her arms and pulled her knees up to her chest. She took the cup from his hand. "Cheers," she added.

Leon wondered if he should be gallant and leave Millie alone there with the coffee. But it was probably best to get the awkwardness of 'the morning after' out of the way. He sat on the chair by the bed and drank his coffee, unsure of where to look. He figured something had to be said.

"So, are we…OK?"

"Oh, absolutely," Millie nodded, perhaps too heartily. "We both had an awful lot to drink…"

"All Nate's fault, as usual," said Leon.

"Yeah. That Nate! I'll have something to say to him when I see him next! Or maybe not…" Millie added on second thought.

"Hmm, maybe not. Maybe we can just keep this between ourselves."

"Yes, of course. Not that it wasn't fun. You… did enjoy it… didn't you?" Millie felt suddenly insecure.

"Oh yeah, I did. You were, it was, um…wow! I really enjoyed it."

"Yeah, I did too."

"I thought you might not remember. You were pretty drunk."

"It took me a little while to remember, but now my head's cleared a bit I do. You know, it's been a while since I had a one night stand. Not that I do it often or anything…"

"Of course not. Me neither. I guess we're both just lucky that it was with a friend."

Millie drained the last of the coffee from her cup. "Look Leon, you know I do consider you a good friend. I hope this doesn't change things between us."

"No, no, of course it won't. As you say, we're mates. It happened, we can laugh about it and get back to the way things were."

"Sure."

Millie didn't quite like the phrase 'laugh about it' and was lost for words. They both fell silent. Leon took refuge from the awkwardness by staring out into space. Millie slyly took the chance to look him over. She would never have pegged him as her type, and facial hair was generally a turn off for her, but there was something about Leon's dishevelled appearance she had always found sexy. And seeing him there in a tee shirt and shorts, looking rather worse for wear, only heightened his grungy charms. She began to find herself wishing she'd remembered more about sleeping with him last night.

Millie found her desire for Leon making an appearance once again, and in true Millie-fashion, this made her nervous. She had to think of something to say to break the spell.

"You know, when I woke up this morning, I didn't know where I was. When I saw the photo on the bedside, I thought I'd slept with a married man, or at least someone with a girl friend. I was so relieved when I realised…oh God Leon, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to come out like that!"

Millie felt she sounded like she was rubbing Leon's almost-widower status in his face. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but she could see she had hurt him. She uncoiled her legs and reached out to touch his arm.

Millie's words had slightly stung Leon, but he knew that she blathered on when she was nervous and that she hadn't meant to offend him. Anyway, what most took his attention about the whole exchange was that when Millie moved the sheet fell off her, leaving her completely exposed down to her waist. He had only caught glimpses of her in the half-light last night, so apart from his imaginings in the shower, this was his first real taste of how she looked naked. And he liked it.

Although Millie hastily covered herself up, Leon felt his body electrified again by desire for her. Millie was flustered by her exposure, but as she caught the look in Leon's eyes and saw the effect she'd had on him, she felt a renewed sense of herself as desirable and sexy.

"Millie," said Leon, making his way over to the bed. "Do you want to..?"

"Yes, I do," she replied, pulling away the bed clothes as an invitation for him to join her. And after removing his tee shirt and shorts, that's just what he did.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite often having overlapping shifts, Millie and Leon didn't encounter each other again for several days after their night (and, as it turned out, most of the next day) of passion, and this really didn't worry either of them. They were both pleased to discover that what happened hadn't really seemed to have affected their friendship, nor had it instilled in either of them a need to made it something more than convenient sex. When they had parted company there had been no 'I'll call yous' or 'let's include dinner next time'; Millie had simply walked out the door and Leon had returned to his usual routine of solitude interspersed with the odd comment to Natalie's picture.

It was almost the end of the week now, and PC Millie Brown was walking through Sun Hill with a spring in her step and a swivel in her hips. This business with Leon had boosted her confidence in her attractiveness a hundred fold. Leon had desired her, something he proved several times during their afternoon together. And it wasn't because she was a nice person, or clever or witty, or because she was a shoulder to cry on; it was because he found the sight, feel, smell and taste of her exciting and alluring. Millie felt like such a sophisticate taking a lover to wile away the afternoon with. And to think she had the ability to keep a man in her thrall simply by her physical appeal had her looking at herself in a whole new way. She had been called pretty all her life, her female curves had been commented on since they had first appeared, but most of her boyfriends and lovers had treated her as a confidante, cook or someone to go out with. There had always been that little voice inside of her that had told her that any one of her men could be taken from her should some vampish seductress wiggle her arse or bat their eyelashes in their direction. For the first time in her life, Millie was feeling like she was a seductress, and she was utterly reveling in the potency of it.

Millie was heading to a briefing room. The day was muggy and hot, and most of the Relief were making their way around the station wearing their white shirts, leaving all the additions in their lockers until wearing them was absolutely necessary. Millie was in her white shirt and feeling the heat but it only served to make her mood more lascivious. She swung her way down the corridor. On the way she passed DS Carter and DC Masters, at whom she smiled. Both of them turned to watch her walk passed. Jo smirked to herself as she watched Max's reaction. Max wondered to himself if PC Brown had always had such a fine arse, and why he hadn't noticed before. Millie saw his double-take and being so confident of her power she was thinking that perhaps she should fulfill a longstanding desire and finally make a move on DS Carter.

As if to add to everyone's misery on that hot day, the briefing room was small and exceptionally over-crowded. Millie managed to get herself a seat on the table that had a bit of space around it, so she wasn't as miserable as some of the other people in the room. DS Carter was giving the presentation, and as the people milled around finding seats he looked over at Millie again, earning himself a sly smile from her. He shook his head and concluded he was imagining things. PC Brown simply wasn't that type of girl.

Everyone was settled and Max started talking. Millie sat on her perch and tried to pay attention. Her mind, however, kept drifting back to Leon's room, and the things they had done that afternoon. She fanned herself with a bit of paper. Luckily many other people in the room were doing the same thing, so it wasn't too much of a giveaway as to what was actually going on in her head.

About five minutes into the session, Leon walked into the room. Millie blushed at the sight of him. The last time she had seen him, he had been… she stopped herself from thinking exactly what he had been doing to her at the time.

Max noticed Leon's arrival, and as he knew of at least two other people yet to arrive who were vital to his presentation, he didn't want Leon hanging around the door. He scanned the room.

"Leon, can I get you to come away from the door? There's a place…over there beside PC Brown. It might be a bit crowded, but it should be OK."

Neither Leon nor Millie had envisioned their first meeting since their liaison to be like this. Leon made his way through the other people and sat down beside Millie. They looked at each other uncertainly. Leon attempted to take up as little room as possibly by hunching himself up, but it soon became too uncomfortable. There was no way of avoiding it. He relaxed himself a bit and felt his legs arms and hips come into contact with the corresponding pieces of Millie's anatomy. They both stared straight ahead at the front of the room, each trying not to notice the sensation of their lover's body against them.

Leon heard Millie sigh deeply. To test if this meant what he thought it did, he put both his hands beside him as if to lean himself forward on them. One hand pressed against the outside of Millie's thigh and he slowly moved one finger back and forth, stroking her. Millie felt herself almost gasp from the thrill of it. She and Leon looked at each other for a moment, each now certain of what the other was thinking. Millie started to feel dizzy with lust.

Something Max had said hadn't gone down too well with some of his colleagues and he felt in need of a little support. He looked to the corner of the room where his most loyal supporter, Millie, was seated and was surprised by how she was looking. It was almost like she wasn't paying attention to him at all.

Suddenly Millie heard Max's voice bringing her back down to earth, "PC Brown! Millie! Are you all right. You look faint!"

Everyone turned to look at Millie in concern. They could see she looked rather flushed and unsteady.

"Millie, I think you'd better get some fresh air," commanded Smithy. "Will you be all right by yourself?"

"I'll take her, Sarge," said Leon, helping a bewildered Millie down. He led her from the room and into the corridor.

Once they were out there he looked around, and decided a nearby bathroom might be the best place for her. Millie was stunned and embarrassed and wasn't about to argue with him. He led her there, checked no one else was around, and then stood her up against a wall, making sure there were no cameras on them. He took both her hands in his and pressed them over her head against the wall. Then he brought his face close to hers.

"You doing anything later?" he breathed, his mouth only millimetres away from hers.

"I think I am now," she panted back, craning her neck forward in an attempt to reach his lips.

After taking one final look at her, Leon moved his head in and they kissed passionately. He moved his mouth to kiss her neck. He brought his body in against her and released her hands. She moved her arms across his chest and shoulders, while he moved his hands on her shirt, wondering if it were pushing things too far to undo a button or two.

Millie froze and pushed Leon away as they both became aware of the sound of footsteps outside the door. _Thank God for these echoey corridors_, thought Millie. Leon jumped into position, pretending to support Millie as if she were likely to faint.

Inspector Weston entered the room and looked at Leon and asked, "How is she?"

Leon looked slightly flustered, "I didn't think I should leave her here alone just yet…"

"Yes, I think you made the right decision. But, you really shouldn't be in the women's toilets. I'll take over from here. Thanks Leon."

Leon reflected that this was the nicest Inspector Weston had ever been to him. He gave Millie a final pat and left the room.

The briefing was over, and everyone was very relieved to escape the stuffy, overcrowded room. Max came out and saw Leon walking by and eyed him suspiciously. Leon caught his gaze and simply said, "She's with Inspector Weston now."

Max nodded. Soon Rachel Weston appeared, and he and Smithy both went over to her to ask after Millie.

"I think it was the heat, but she seems fine now," Rachel told them. "She should be right after a cold drink and short rest."

"Leon was very attentive, I notice," said Max. "Anything going on there?"

Rachel and Smithy looked at each other. Smithy took Max aside and said quietly in his ear, "Leon's partner was killed in a car accident, and he's never go over it. Really, she couldn't have been in safer hands."

"He's very protective of women, I notice," said Rachel. "But I wouldn't read anything into that."

Max's suspicions were appeased, and the three officers dispersed and returned to their respective duties.

And once the shift was finished, Millie went home, got changed, hopped back in her car and drove straight over to Leon's. He opened the door and smiled. Then he check to see that no one was around, and he pulled her in to his flat and shut the door behind them...


	5. Chapter 5

Millie woke up one morning and lay in bed thinking about things. She and Leon had been seeing each other for a couple of months now (though in the context of their relationship 'seeing each' other meant having sex in the day time or with the light on). No one except the two of them knew a thing about it still, if you didn't count Natalie. Most of their liaisons had taken place at Leon's place where Natalie's presence still loomed. But Millie's place was out of the question, because she had a flatmate, and a couple of times they had used hotel rooms, but both had been a bit uncomfortable about that. Spending days trawling through CCTV made one a little paranoid about getting caught meeting up anywhere public.

Every time they met up, it was all about sex. They might occasionally have a bite to eat or coffee, maybe even chat for a while about work or something, but they both knew why they were there. Millie actually didn't mind this, and she suspected Leon didn't either. Who would, when the sex was so mind-blowingly good? Millie closed her eyes and stretched her body out like a cat under her sheet remembering it. _Sex without love was fantastic_, she thought to herself. Who'd have guessed Leon and she would work so well together? Certainly not her! The majority of her sexual experience had been in the context of relationships, so it had involved the usual talking preamble, then the whole business of foreplay, kissing, coaxing etc. But with Leon, well, it was just strap yourself in and enjoy the ride! This didn't mean that he was being selfish either. It was clear that her pleasure was just as important to him as his own. Millie had always thought people who vocalised during sex were being a bit overdramatic, but on several occasions with Leon she had found a cry escaping from her lips as he brought her to a hitherto unexperienced level of pleasure. The first time it happened she had been a bit embarrassed, but Leon acted as if it were all in a days work for him, and if he fucked everyone like that, thought Millie, maybe it was!

So, the situation with Leon had a hell of a lot going for it. If only he were more…interesting. Part of the reason Millie let herself go in terms of their physical interactions was because there was very little to keep her there besides that. Sure, she liked, Leon – she really liked Leon – but she knew she would never love him. Being with him in no way meant that she wasn't still looking for love with someone else. She knew Leon wasn't the one for her. She couldn't recall a time when they had really shared a laugh for instance. There was nothing lighthearted about Leon at all. She had thought there few things as off putting as the type of man who, say, nicknamed his…thing, but gee, once the sex was over she found herself longing for a similar moment of levity with Leon. He never laughed about anything, he never made up silly pet names for her, and she bet he never thought, as she often did while they were making love, how silly and comical the whole thing could be. Sometimes things like 'how funny it would be if I was knocked unconscious by the bed head while he's pounding away back there' or, 'what if this table can't take our weight' just popped into her head and almost made her laugh. But she knew Leon just wouldn't see the funny side of these two questions. If she said those things, she knew he would probably take it like she was raising an OH&S concern.

Millie looked at the clock and thought of what to do with her day off. She knew Leon was home too. They hadn't made any plans (they never planned), but she thought perhaps they could work out some of their tension from the working week together. She was ashamed how her concerns seemed to melt away when she thought of how he made her feel. There was no other way of putting it: she was sexually addicted to him.

Leon was lying in bed when the call from Millie came through. He said yes straight away. He lay back in bed with his arms behind his head and smiled. God he loved fucking her. And not just fucking her – he loved doing everything to her. He never would have dreamed that Millie would be such a willing participant all the things their collective sexual imagination could conjure up. And of course, there was no denying she was gorgeous as well. Very different to Natalie, his paradigm against whom all other women were measured, but beautiful nonetheless. He hadn't found an angle yet that didn't flatter Millie. And she knew just how to push his buttons too. Everything about their lovemaking was instinctual and it seemed to work to perfection every time. Leon felt that if it were physically possible, he could happily spend the whole time he was her just having sex with her repeatedly. They often managed a few sessions in each of their days together, but she somehow always left him wanting more and more and more. Not because he was unsatisfied, but just because he wanted to taste that intense pleasure again and again.

He turned to face the photo of Natalie beside his bed and touched a finger to her lips. He had given up apologising to her for his fling with Millie. After all, once he had satisfied himself that it was no threat to his bond with Natalie, he felt Natalie would be OK with it too. He felt that she would want him to be happy, and if not able to find true love again, to at least be sexually satisfied. There had been one or two other women between Millie and Natalie, and he had managed to get over his guilt about them pretty quickly, because they had been one offs, and he never saw them again. The difference with Millie was of course the repeated meetings and that he knew her as a friend and work colleague.

In spite of their bond outside of simply sleeping together, Leon didn't feel that his and Millie's relationship was especially deep or about anything much other than good old fashioned shagging. Would he ever consider Millie as a candidate for taking Natalie place in his life? No way. Millie was too, how could he put it…lightweight for him somehow. She wasn't stupid or shallow or anything, but he just felt that she was a bit naïve sometimes. Maybe it was because that she had never experienced a real loss in her life, like he had when Natalie died. Sure, she tried to be sensitive and sympathetic, and understand his feelings, but she simply didn't get it. She didn't see that life was a serious business and often incredibly short. She could be so annoyingly chirpy. He had heard her giving someone a pep talk the other day (something he was pleased she dare not try with him!) and she used the expression "look on the bright side". Millie couldn't see that the bright side was completely an illusion. Life was all about dealing with darkness.

None of this meant he was about to turn her down when she rang and offered to come over. At least she seemed to have no illusions about the way things stood between them. After two months of seeing her, he was relatively convinced that her feelings about their long term future mirrored his. In a nutshell, they had no long term future. Their 'relationship' was all about the present and the fulfillment of immediate, physical needs. And it took care of these perfectly.


	6. Chapter 6

"Leon," said Millie, looking up at him from her position slumped across his chest, her bare breasts pressed against him. They were lying under the covers together after another morning spent shut away in Leon's flat, indulging in the physical pleasure they each brought to being in the other. Their summer liaison was turning into autumn and Millie was starting to feel a chill and pulled bedclothes up to her shoulders.

"Yeah," said Leon, who was still catching his breath. _Wow, that was fantastic_, he was thinking, _why does she have to spoil it by talking!_

"This is all OK with you still, isn't it?" she asked uncertainly.

"What, spending whole days in bed with a gorgeous girl who is unbelievable in the sack and apparently sexually inexhaustible? What do you think?"

"Good, and just so you know, they're my feelings too, just swap 'man' for 'girl' in what you said. Anyway, I thought I'd better check. I don't want to stuff you around or make you feel any obligations or anything."

"You're not. And I hope you're not afraid to let me know when you think it's time to end this either."

"No, I'll let you know," replied Millie, who was struck by the way he said 'when' not 'if'. She felt she should have been hurt by this, but she wasn't.

"Good," said Leon. He rolled Millie over onto her back and lay beside her, running his hand purposefully up and down her body. _A bit more of this and we'll be ready for the next round and that will shut her up_, he told himself.

Millie moved slowly as he touched her, every stroke making her not-long-since-sated passion grow. Leon brought his mouth to hers and started to kiss her.

Suddenly 'The Flight of the Valkyries' started to chime from Millie's bag. She wriggled out from under Leon and jumped out of bed.

"That's my phone, and it's work," she warned as she ran across the room to get her bag. Leon's enjoyment at watching her naked form dash across the room was ended when she uttered the word 'work'.

"Hello… Yes Ma'am…(deep sigh and a glance at Leon) No, no particular plans, why?..Well I suppose I can… Leon?...Yes, he doesn't live to far from me…sure I can…OK, I'll get ready, then I'll give him a call. See you soon."

Millie snapped her phone shut and made a face.

"What was that about and why was my name mentioned?" asked Leon suspiciously.

"Your phone handy? You'll be getting a call any minute. Inspector Weston asked if I could pick you up if you're available to work, seeing as your car's out of action…"

Leon's phone went off beside the bed. He made his way out of the room to answer it, as Millie disappeared into the shower.

When the call was finished, Leon appeared around the shower curtain and said, "You mind if I join you?"

Moving over to make room for him, Millie replied, "Of course not. So, you've been called in too, huh?"

"Yep," said Leon, who had picked up the soap to wash himself but had somehow found himself lathering up Millie's body instead.

Millie took the soap from his hand, pulled his body to hers, gave him a quick kiss before getting out of the shower and starting to dry herself off. "I need to drop by my place first if that's OK."

Leon sighed and turned off the taps. "Yeah, fine. Maybe we can finish this later?"

"Sure."

Millie and Leon drove into Sun Hill and headed straight to the room in which the briefing was being held. Luckily they were amongst the first there, so there arriving together went unnoticed by all but Inspector Weston, who was the one who suggested Millie collect Leon anyway.

Leon went to talk to the Inspector, while Mel and Roger arrived and took the seats either side of Millie. DS Carter and Sergeant Stone soon appeared and explained what was happening.

"…so we'll need a few people keeping an eye on things. Roger, you can sit reading your paper, Millie you can pair up with…" Max's eyes skimmed the room for a believable candidate, "…Leon and pretend to be a couple taking a walk through the park."

Leon's expression didn't change, even though this piece of news made him uncomfortable. Millie blushed but this was so typical of her that no one really read anything significant into it.

The officers all made their way to the park and took their places. Max and Callum positioned themselves where they could get an overall view of the area.

Max nodded his head at Leon and Millie, who were walking awkwardly side by side, conscious that they were wearing microphones and not daring to talk.

"Woo, talk about sexual chemistry!" said Max sarcastically. "Not very good at playing the part of young lovers, are they?"

"Knowing Leon, he probably feels he's being unfaithful to his late ex just by talking to another woman," said Callum. "Millie, however, well you'd be surprised…"

"Just what are you telling me?" Max's opinion of Millie was similar to her view on Leon: completely do-able, just not very interesting.

"Not so long ago, I shared a slow dance with the lady in question, and let me tell you, she can move. She's very sexy. I very nearly made a move on her."

"Turned you down, did she?" Max saw through Callum's bravado.

"Yeah," admitted Callum reluctantly. "She moved away when I went to kiss her."

"Probably just as well, you being her Sergeant and all."

"True."

"Well," said Max, eying off Millie from a whole different perspective, "We'd better get those two looking more convincing. Leon," Max spoke into his radio.

Leon rolled his eyes at Millie, "Sarge?"

"Can you try looking less like a primary school kid afraid of getting girl germs off Millie and hold her hand or put an arm around her or something? You're supposed to look like a couple, remember?"

"Sarge," said Leon and put an arm around Millie's shoulder. She reluctantly slipped an arm around his waist.

"Good start, now try and look like you're enjoying yourself! We want you to look happy that you're walking around with a beautiful young women, not like someone's forcing you to do it."

_Did he just call me beautiful?_ thought Millie. She gripped Leon a little tighter, and he responded by smiling at her.

"There, was that so hard? Sergeant Stone and I were thinking we were going to have to come out and show you how it's done."

"Were you and Sergeant Stone going to walk along holding hands, Sarge?" Millie couldn't help herself.

"Yeah, I thought I heard him use the phrase 'come out' too," said Leon with a smirk.

The sound of the laughter of the other officers in radio contact rang through everyone's earphones.

_Oh my God, Leon made a joke!_ Millie thought to herself. She wondered if anyone would notice if she slid her hand under his shirt. Instead she moved her hand slowly and deliberately across his back.

Leon felt her movement and knew exactly what it signified. _How soon til we can go home?_ he thought impatiently. Under the cover of her hair he stroked her neck with his thumb.

Millie was finding herself getting more and more turned on at every little movement Leon made. Had not Roger radioed that he had spotted their target approaching, Max might have had to radio them that their behaviour was becoming just a little too convincing. But luckily the distraction of officers running around rendered their near slip up completely unnoticeable to anyone other than themselves.

Back at the station, Millie walked to her car, while Leon slipped out to make his own way home, so as not to draw attention to the fact they were headed to the same destination. Millie bumped into Max in the car park. Max was thinking about what Callum had said about Millie, and he wondered just how true it was.

"So you headed home, Millie?"

"Yes Sarge," Millie smiled at him as she unlocked the driver's door of her car.

"Doing anything special?"

"I think I'll spend the rest of the day in bed actually," said Millie truthfully.

It was plain to Max that for some reason Millie was very much looking forward to this. He was intrigued by her reaction.

"Alone?" he asked in what he hoped sounded like an off-handed manner

"Ah, that's my secret," said Millie, shutting her door and starting the car.

_Callum could be right,_ thought Max as he watched her drive away. _Maybe there is more to her than meets the eye._

As Millie drove she smiled to herself at Max's reaction. And although she had always had a crush on him, he was very soon forgotten. Her mind soon wandered to the unfinished business she and Leon were about to take care of.


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone felt they deserved a drink that night. PC Roger Valentine had somehow got himself cornered by a very desperate, gun-toting father who had recently been denied access to his adored children. Good ol' Rodge had managed to end the siege without any need for CO19 to use their guns, and without anyone, including Roger himself, being hurt. Still, the situation had had every member of the Relief, and most of CID, understandably nervous. So once the shift was over it didn't take long for a unanimous decision to be made to conclude the day at the pub.

DS Max Carter wasn't one of the usual partakers in these pub nights, but amongst the CO19 officers called in the day was his old mate and some would say partner in crime, Paul Sinclair. In the days before he had notched up a couple of kills and got a new, more serious perspective on life, Max had spent many of his nights with Paul, drinking and carousing and sampling the seemingly never ending procession of pretty young things who were susceptible to the charms of a man who could handle a weapon. But since experience had soured Max's views on life, he had lost his appetite for this type of fun. Paul himself had slowed down, but nevertheless still liked to indulge every now and then and spend a night on the tiles. When he heard there were drinks going down that night, Paul immediately said yes and insisted his old buddy Max come along with him.

Max couldn't really see a way he could turn the invitation down. He was tidying up his desk, trying to psych himself in to tolerating a evening with work colleagues, when Paul came up behind him at his desk and playfully massaged both his shoulders.

"So mate, just like old times eh? You and me on the prowl!"

Max shook Paul's hands off him, and then looked over at Stevie and Jo, who were clearly amused at this 'male bonding'. He glared at them as they walked out, and left him and Paul alone in the office.

"Yeah, can't wait, mate. But, you know, things have changed. For one thing, in the past it would have been a rare thing for you hang out with a bunch of, what did you used to call them, 'PC Plods'. Lowering your standards, hey?"

"Nah, never. But I did spy amongst the plods a very ripe little redhead, and if I'm not mistaken, she smiled when I gave her the look. I bet you fifty she comes home with me tonight!"

_God, Millie again?_ thought Max. _Why was everyone falling for her these days? _"You would mean PC Brown? You're on, but I think you'll be going home alone and I'll be fifty pounds richer."

"Ah ha, you're after her yourself aren't you? What about we both go after her, and the loser pays the winner one hundred?"

"Let's just stick to the original bet shall we? I'm not interested in her. I'm just concerned for the poor girl, knowing you as I do."

"Whatever you say, mate! Come on, let's get there and strike while the women are hot!"

Down at the pub, first drinks were being ordered. Leon carried two beers to a table in the corner for himself and Roger, the hero of the day. Smithy, Terry and Jo soon joined them. They watched the younger officers arguing about what type of music to select.

"We need something we can dance to. I feel like dancing!" said Stevie, draining the dregs of her beer.

"Let's show them how it's done!" said Millie, grabbing Stevie's hand and leading her onto the floor. Millie hadn't eaten since morning and her first glass of wine had gone straight to her head.

Nate and Ben shrugged their shoulders and did the gentlemanly thing and hit the floor too. Rounds of drinks were bought and the revelers got drunker and drunker. The number on the dance floor grew and amongst those joining the dancers was Max's friend Paul. He made a beeline for Millie.

Millie looked over at Leon sitting in the corner and sighed. She wished he would dance with her. But he seemed set on just getting depressed.

Max meanwhile joined Roger, Leon and Terry at their table in the corner.

"Fast worker, your mate," commented Terry, as they watched Paul pull Millie towards him with a hand in the curve of her back. Millie threw her head back and laughed at whatever he was saying. The hand stayed where it was and Millie didn't back away.

"Oh yeah, he's a player all right," said Max. The four men sat and watched the show: Terry with amusement, Roger and Max with concern for Millie, and Leon with a smoldering look of anger.

Millie excused herself and made her way to the toilets.

"So," said Max. "Do you think I should warn Millie about Paul?"

"Someone should," agreed Roger, who had always been protective of her.

Terry nodded, "It would be the decent thing to do." Terry wasn't really fussed. He was just amused at Max's concern.

Leon just sat and stared. The others all figured he was just really drunk.

Max got up and made his way over to the toilets to wait for Millie.

"You think he's jealous?" asked Terry.

Roger sighed, "Doubt it. She likes him well enough though."

"You reckon? I think she's a bit over that now," Leon interjected savagely.

The other two looked at each other. "Maybe so," agreed Terry. _What was wrong with Leon?_ he thought. _He's always been a moody bastard, but..._

Whatever was affecting Leon, it was a great conversation killer. They all kept silent after that.

Millie came out of the Ladies to see Max waiting for her. She was surprised to see him there.

"Hi!" she said brightly. She was too drunk to be put off by his serious expression.

"Look Millie, I just thought I'd better warn you about Paul."

"Oh," Millie felt her self-confidence ebb away. Her ideas of herself as a seductress disappeared as she faced the realisation that despite how she saw herself, Max - and probably everybody else - simply saw her as an ingénue. "What about him?"

"He's never, you know, treated women very well. He's more the love them and leave them type."

"What makes you think that's not what I want?" asked Millie defensively.

"Well, it just doesn't seem like you, somehow.."

_He couldn't put it much clearer than that, could he?_

"Maybe you just don't know me, DS Carter," retorted Millie.

Max had felt foolish worrying and coming to talk to Millie about this, but, with the best intentions he had swallowed his pride and done it. Now he was just annoyed. Millie's response was the last straw.

"OK, fine, whatever. It's completely up to you. I was just…oh, forget it." Max held his hands in front of him with the air of someone who was giving up. He walked up to Paul, said he had a headache, and left.

Millie felt in need of a confidence boost. She wondered what Leon was doing later.

Paul meanwhile spotted Millie lurking in the shadows and took it as an invitation to make his move. Millie saw him coming towards her and smiled.

Paul took her in his arms and checked to see who was looking. Then he pulled her back into an alcove and started to kiss her. Millie responded.

They hid there for a good five minutes, kissing and exploring each other as much as was possible without the removal of clothes or drawing too much attention to themselves. Ironically, both of them were thinking of Max. Millie was triumphantly thinking that his impression of her as a silly little mouse was wrong after all. Paul was feeling just as triumphantly, thinking that he wished Max was here, because he could sure use that hundred bucks.

"Excuse me," said a voice, and Millie and Paul looked up to see Leon pushing passed. Millie caught the look in his eye as he went through on his way to the bathroom. He looked hurt.

She and Paul looked at each other, their moment of passion somehow lost.

"I enjoyed that," said Millie stupidly.

"Me too," replied Paul in kind.

"Maybe we can continue it another time, yeah?"

"Sure," said Paul, farewelling that hundred once and for all. "You wanna give me your number?"

Millie obliged and they parted company. Leon returned to find Millie alone.

"Give up did he?" said Leon sulkily.

"Yeah, I wasn't really interested. So, what are you doing now? Got any plans?"

"I thought I'd head back to mine." Leon looked around and lowered his voice. "You can join me if you like."

"Oh, I like," replied Millie, taking a step closer to him.

Leon was in two minds as to where or not to kiss her. He decided to err on the side of caution.

"Everyone more or less seems to be leaving now, so let's wait until things thin out a bit more then we can grab a cab."

They returned to the others and basically ignored each other until everyone else had gone. Within half an hour they were getting it on in the back seat of cab. But somehow, they both had the feeling they had done this before...


	8. Chapter 8

Leon woke up the next morning and saw Millie sleeping beside him. He smiled as he thought to himself that she was not looking her most attractive. For one thing, her mouth was wide open and moist with dribble, and in addition to that she was snoring at a quite decent volume. Her hair was matted around her head and in places it was stuck with what he concluded was a mixture of saliva and sweat to her cheeks and neck. Even so, she was still undeniably pretty and the naked body that stretched itself out under the blanket was undoubtedly the same one that had given him so much pleasure the night before.

He lifted the bed clothes to try and sneak a peek at that body, but when he did Millie stirred as the cold air hit her, and her open mouth snapped shut. He decided to leave her alone. Anyway, he had some thinking to do.

His eyes wandered from the body in his bed to the picture of Natalie at his bedside. He stroked Natalie's perpetually smiling face. His dear, faithful, dead Natalie. His one true love. Even after the months with Millie, his feelings for Natalie were the same as ever. And even after all that time, his feelings for Millie were still the same as well. He could fuck her all day long, but commit to her? Love her? Never.

Leon had woken up knowing it was time he and she had that talk…

Millie woke up and stretched out and saw Leon looking down at her. He continued staring into her eyes as he took her in his arms and just held her. It occurred to Millie that this was the first time she had known Leon to make what could be construed as a loving gesture towards her. She smiled back at him and held him tight.

Millie kept looking into his eyes and knew what he was thinking, "So, this is how it ends, huh?" she said calmly.

"I think so," Leon said, almost sadly. "I think we've had our fun. I guess we need to end it before someone gets hurt. I haven't hurt you, have I? I know I behaved like a prat last night."

Millie reflected on the way Leon had behaved last night at the pub. Everyone seemed to notice how sullen and solitary he was most of the night (though to a degree this was often Leon's demeanour anyway). As no one knew of their connection, no one considered Millie as the possible cause of the depth of his sullenness, except of course Millie herself. She couldn't help but notice his eyes following her as she danced and laughed, especially when she had been with that Paul guy. The most animated Leon had been all night was when he disturbed her passionate encounter with Paul. It was handy in a way, because Millie hadn't been really interested in Paul, and quite frankly would have been at a loss as to what to do if he had asked her to go home with him. She had felt certain parts of her melt when Leon came along and saved the day by suggesting she come home with him. But she knew she had melted simply because Leon was familiar and she wanted him. She knew it wasn't because she loved him.

Millie's mind flashed back to what had happened when they got back to Leon's. Leon was usually what one could call 'focused on a result' when they were having sex, but last night he had been particularly single minded in his pursuit. Millie remembered how they had got in the door and automatically started shedding clothes, which was not usual. They hadn't even made it to the bedroom when Leon made it clear that night they were foregoing foreplay and getting straight into the action. Millie managed to get across that she wasn't going to allow this to happen until there was a condom handy. Once this little detail was taken care of…well… Millie recalled the relentlessness of the whole thing; the exquisite sense of pleasure rapidly rising higher and higher until neither of them could take it any more. She remember she felt herself dissolving into what seemed like a blinding light, at which point she cried out again and again at the intensity of the sensation. As for Leon, he had slumped over in a panting, sweaty exhaustion that told her that it had been just as good for him as it was for her.

_Fantastic sex as usual. __Fantastic sex without a single trace of tenderness,_ thought Millie. She couldn't even remember so much as a kiss being exchanged. _Nevertheless_, she thought, _i__f this is how things are to end, they are certainly going out with a bang!_

Her focused returned to Leon, and she reassured him, "No, you've never hurt me."

"I'm sorry I ruined your chances with that guy last night, though I did think he seemed a bit of tosser. I don't really know why I behaved like that. I guess in a way I was jealous, even though I have no right to expect to keep you for myself. And I hope you don't take it the wrong way if I say I don't really want to."

Millie put her hand on his cheek, "Don't worry, I know what you're saying. I think we've both enjoyed the no strings, great sex thing, but I think it's run its course. But I do want a relationship and I need to be free to find someone I can really love, and you, well, you're still in love with Natalie."

Leon sighed, "And you know what, I'm happy to still love her. I'm not ready to give that up yet. I've been thinking, I'm due some leave, so I might take some time off to think about things."

"I think that will do you the world of good," agreed Millie.

"So, we OK?

"We're OK."

"Say, I suppose it's out of the question to, you know, just one more time…" he joked.

Millie smiled. "Goodbye Leon," she said, climbing out of the bed after giving him one final chaste kiss on the forehead. Then she picked up those clothes of hers that were in the room and, leaving Leon in the bed, got up and went into the sitting room. There she simply dressed herself, took one last look around the flat and walked out the front door.

Leon put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.


	9. Epilogue

A/ N Well, this is it. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. xx

Millie came into work well aware that it would most likely be the day that she would be seeing Leon for the first time since they ended things. His leave had finished at the beginning of the week, but she hadn't been rostered on, so there hadn't been an opportunity for their paths to cross as yet.

She made her way into the briefing room, where many members of the team had already assembled. In the corner, talking to Nate, sat Leon. He looked up at her, and they smiled at each other, very much the way work mates smile when they are reunited after not seeing each other for a while. No one would have suspected anything else had ever happened between them.

They both did feel slightly awkward, however, to discover that they were to be partnered that day.

The other officers started to set out on their assignments as Millie and Leon greeted each other for the first time.

"Welcome back," said Millie, copying what she had seen Mel doing earlier and giving Leon a quick hug.

"Thanks."

"Well, you look well rested. Was it all worth while?"

"Oh, definitely." They started to walk out of the room together.

In the yard, Leon turned to Millie and said, "So, you still think we did the right thing ending things? I do, by the way," he added, fearing that perhaps she might take his question the wrong way.

"Yeah I do too," Millie agreed.

An evil grin crept across Leon's face as he moved in close to her and whispered, "Can't see what I ever saw in you, actually!"

Millie took off his hat and whacked him with it. Then she laughed and put an arm around his shoulder, while he threw his arm around her waist. They walked over their car together laughing, happier than they'd been with each other since that fateful night, so many months ago.

Nate and Ben were walking behind them and noticed their camaraderie.

"You know what?" said Nate, who was always quick on the uptake. "I reckon that could be the start of something…"


End file.
